Animal or character coin bank

ABSTRACT

A toy bank in the shape of an animal, doll, or character with an accompanying sound that correlates to the animal, doll, or character when a coin is deposited into the bank is provided according to the invention. The sound is provided by an integrated circuit inside a sound module contained inside the bank that transmits the prerecorded sound bite to a speaker. The sound module is automatically activated when the falling coin applies force against an associated prong that extends partially into the coin slot. Such a sound provides a viscerally fun response to the depositing of coins into the bank, thereby further encouraging the child to save his or her money. Moreover, a clear, transparent collection chamber in the animal or character could allow the child to see the money grow in the bank. By adapting the toy bank to a school mascot or popular entertainment or newsworthy figure with a sound bite to match, the toy bank could appeal to teenagers and adults too.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the saving of money, and morespecifically to a coin bank in the shape of an animal or charactercontaining a receptacle for receiving deposited coins which activate apre-recorded sound bite correlated with the animal or character wheninserted into the bank to encourage the saving of money, entertain, orappeal to nostalgia.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Saving money is contrary to human impulsiveness. It is much easier tospend money to buy products that a person desires, because this appealsto instant gratification—a powerful and often-times irresistible humantrait. This can particularly be true for children.

Therefore, it is known within the prior art to provide coin banks in theshape of animals that may appeal to humans, children in particular.Ceramic piggy banks are one example. Silver banks in the shape ofrabbits or other animals are yet another example. See also U.S. Pat. No.4,593,817 issued to Ferrero. Such banks contain a rigid hollow body witha slot on top. The deposited coins collect within the hollow body of theanimal bank until they are later removed by means of a plugged hole inthe bottom, and deposited in a real bank or otherwise used.

The primary appeal of such animal banks is the natural humanpsychological response to deposit “spare coins” within a fun or cutebank. Done over a prolonged period of time, such occasional coindeposits can grow to a substantial sum of money. This is a particularlyvaluable lesson for children, since it illustrates a reward for delayedgratification in the form of saving money.

Nevertheless, for many children, animal banks with hard surfaces may beinsufficiently appealing to generate a desire to save. Such animal banksmay become quickly forgotten, gathering dust on the back of a dresser orcloset shelf. Thus, efforts have been made to provide coin banks in theshape of familiar objects like animals or dolls, but with soft or plushexteriors that are huggable like a child's stuffed animal or doll. SeeU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,831,313 issued to Cichy; 4,401,259 issued to Knutson;and 6,186,852 issued to Davis. Children may want to play with suchcuddly or huggable toy banks by depositing coins therein, therebyinstilling a savings ethic.

Still other efforts have been made within the prior art to provide adirect visual response to the depositing and collection of coins withina toy bank. Hence, U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 24,355 issued to Whalen, forexample, takes the form of a soft-sided pig with a stomach that visiblyexpands as the deposited coin collection grows. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No.5,437,408 issued to Chestnut discloses a hard-surfaced dragon bank witha transparent cylindrical container within the main body for collectingthe coins, and a serpentine pathway from the coin slot in the mouth tothe collection chamber, so that child can watch the coin travel acircuitous path to the stomach. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,650,452 issued toMartin and 4,345,400 issued to Katzman et al. provide banks in the formof ducks or birds wherein the bill or beak moves or “chews” after thecoin is deposited to entertain the child.

See U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 291,938 issued to Kauffman; 354,834 and378,786 issued to Chestnut; 426,595 issued to Jager; and 458,727 issuedto Beacham for a variety of animal shapes for a toy bank. See also U.S.Published Application No. 2005/0045709 filed by Beacham et al. for amulti-compartment piggy bank that allows a child to allocate depositedcoins between different financial objectives, including savings,spending, donations, and investments.

Sound is another appealing motivator to encourage children to deposittheir coins into a toy bank. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,002,313 issued toHutchison discloses a chime bank containing a series of ramps for travelof the deposited coins with vertically-oriented chime at the end of eachramp, so that the coin strikes the chime to provide a tone. U.S. Pat.No. 2,650,452 issued to Martin entails a bird-shaped bank with a beakwhose bottom portion is hinged to strike the body of the bird to make apercussive sound in response to the deposit of a coin. Yet, such soundsare relatively simplistic, and unlikely to appeal to a contemporarychild accustomed to the visceral response of video games. CollectionEtc., Inc. of Elk Grove Village, Ill. therefore now sells coin banks inthe shape of traffic-lights or railroad crossing signals with electricalswitches that activate flashing lights and the sound of a train passingthrough the station to entertain the child. However, the child needs toseparately activate these signs and sounds by means of themanually-operated switch, since they are not triggered by the deposit ofthe coins.

Being able to include a prerecorded sound bite directly correlated tothe animal or character shape of a toy bank could be very advantageousin terms of providing a viscerally fun response to the depositing ofcoins in the bank, thereby further encouraging the child to save his orher money. Moreover, a transparent collection chamber in the animal orcharacter could allow the child to see the money grow in the bank. Byadapting the toy bank to a school mascot or popular entertainment ornewsworthy figure with a sound bite to match, the toy bank could appealto teenagers and adults too.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A toy bank in the shape of an animal, doll, or character with anaccompanying sound that correlates to the animal, doll, or characterwhen a coin is deposited into the bank is provided according to theinvention. The sound is provided by an integrated circuit inside a soundmodule contained inside the bank that transmits the prerecorded soundbite to a speaker. The sound module is automatically activated when thefalling coin applies force against an associated prong that extendspartially into the coin slot. Such a sound provides a viscerally funresponse to the depositing of coins into the bank, thereby furtherencouraging the child to save his or her money. Moreover, a clear,transparent collection chamber in the animal or character could allowthe child to see the money grow in the bank. By adapting the toy bank toa school mascot or popular entertainment or newsworthy figure with asound bite to match, the toy bank could appeal to teenagers and adultstoo.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a lamb embodiment of the toy bankof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective back view of the toy bank embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the coin slot housing, throat,and stomach portions of the toy bank of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the exterior of the sound module.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the interior of the sound module of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A toy bank comprising the shape of an animal or popular charactercontaining a transparent chamber for collecting deposited coins and asound chip that is triggered by each deposited coin to play aprerecorded sound bite that is congruent with the animal or character isprovided by the invention. Such invention may provide a fun,entertaining, and educational method for encouraging children to savetheir money by depositing their coins into the bank, instead of spendingit on other things. Moreover, a toy bank in the form of a popular ornostalgic figure could be appealing to teenagers or adults, as well.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the toy bank 10 of the present invention. In thiscase, it takes the form of a lamb with a head 12, eyes 14, ears 16, nose17, mouth 18, main body portion 20, arms 22, and legs 24. It isimportant for the animal to be visually realistic enough that a childcan readily identify with it. The animal can have a hard surface madefrom any suitable material like plastic, metal, ceramic, or wood forpurposes of this invention. It can also be made from a soft materiallike cloth or felt. Even more ideally, it can take the form of a plushtoy, so that the toy bank is similar to the other stuffed animals ordolls that a child likes to hug or cuddle and play with.

Inserted into hole 30 in the top of the animal's head is coin slothousing 32, as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. Coin slot housing 32 is arectangular prism having two opposing side walls 34 and 36 and twoopposing end walls 38 and 40. Extending from the top edge of the housingis lip 42 which surrounds the perimeter of the housing. Also fabricatedinto the housing is slot 44 which extends vertically through thehousing. The cross-sectional length and width a and b, respectively, ofthis slot must be sufficient to enable a coin to pass through it, whilenot too large so as to allow the coin wobble or flutter while it travelsdownwardly through the slot, or otherwise enable a child to insertunwanted objects into the slot. For purposes of United States coins,slot 44 should be ¾″×1¾″ in dimensions, preferably ⅛″×1¼″.

Throat 48 constitutes a rectangular-shaped tube having cross-sectionaldimensions that complement the cross-sectional dimensions of coin slothousing 32, so that the housing fits closely inside the throat. Whenproperly inserted, the top wall 50 of the throat will abut the bottomsurface of lip 42, and flanges 52 and 54 extending inwardly from the topwall of the throat 48 will snap fit into groove 46 around the perimeterof the coin slot housing so that the two parts are joined in a securefashion. The throat is preferably made from flexible plastic material toprevent breakage, as the toy bank is huggable and can be held bychildren.

Stomach or belly 60 is shaped like an oval prism. It constitutes twohalves 62 and 64. Half 62 has a series of prongs 66 which extend fromcircumferential end 68. Half 64 has a series of recesses 70 formed intothe circumferential end 72. Prongs 66 are snap-fitted into the recesses70 in a mated relationship to secure the two halves 62 and 64 togetherto form the stomach 60 that collects the deposited coins within thebank, as described more fully below.

The stomach is inserted through hole 74 in the belly of the animal 10 sothat the ends protrude slightly from the front and back of the animal.While the stomach chamber may be made from any suitable material, it ispreferably manufactured from a clear and transparent orsemi-transparent, but unbreakable, material like acrylic plastic, sothat the child can clearly see the deposited coin collection grow overtime from the front or back of the animal. This may provide an importantincentive for the child to keep depositing coins, and thereby receivinga visual reward for saving.

Rectangular cutaway regions 76 and 78 in stomach halves 62 and 64,respectively, cooperate to form through hole 80. The lower end of throat48 is inserted into through hole 80 with outward flanges 82 on thethroat snap fitting against sides 84 and 86 of the through hole tosecure throat 48 to stomach 60. It will be appreciated that a coininserted into slot 44 of the toy bank will travel in a downwardsdirection by means of gravity through the slot and throat 48, and fallinto stomach 60 whereupon it remains until plug 88 is removed fromdischarge hole 90 in the bottom of the stomach 60 to remove thecollected coins when, e.g., the child wishes to deposit the coins in asavings bank account.

For a preferred embodiment, the animal 10 sits 14 inches high with a7-inch long throat 48 and a 5-inch round stomach 60. The bottom of theround stomach extends another 2 inches, and is supported by a 4½″ roundbase to balance the weight of the stomach filled with coins. The plug 88is preferably 1½″ in diameter for U.S. coinage.

In an important feature of the invention, coin slot housing 32 containsa sound chip that is activated when the coin depresses prong 92 as ittravels through the slot 44. As shown more fully in FIG. 4 and 5,housing 32 actually constitutes a first half 96 and a second half 98containing recessed chambers 100 and 102, respectively.

Installed in chamber 100 is a “sound module” or “sound chip”constituting a one-time programmable voice integrated circuit 106 thatis powered by button cell batteries 108. A sound chip is an integratedcircuit (i.e., a “chip”) designed to produce sound. It may do thisthrough digital, analog, or mixed-mode electronics. Sound chips normallycontain oscillators, envelope controllers, samplers, filters, andamplifiers. Prong 92 is wired to integrated circuit 106 so that when itis depressed to a sufficient degree by a coin falling through slot 44 tocomplete the electrical circuit, current is sent to the sound chip tocause the prerecorded sound bite to be played through speaker 110contained in chamber 102 of housing half 98, and connected to integratedcircuit 106 by wires 112. Such sound chips are produced by a largenumber of manufacturers, and may be sourced from George Kaufman atwww.gmkmg.com or Popwin Giftware Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong forpurposes of this invention.

In an example embodiment of the invention, the integrated circuit caninclude read only memory or ROM that is preprogrammed by themanufacturer with the particular animal or character sound.Additionally, the integrated circuit can include an amplifier toincrease the animal or character sound output. One skilled in the artwill recognize the versatility of utilizing integrated circuits tomodify or alter the audible outputs. Any changes or modifications to thecircuitry should be considered to be within the spirit and scope of thisinvention.

While this invention has been illustrated by a lamb, it could just asreadily take the form of any other animal that is appealing to a child,including but not limited to dogs, cats, horses, monkeys, frogs, bears,pigs, cows, ducks, horses, donkeys, elephants, lions, and tigers. Thesound bite should be congruent with the animal. Therefore, a toy bank inthe form of a lion might include a sound chip containing two to threeprerecorded seconds of a lion roaring. Likewise, a toy bank in the formof a dog (there are a large number of possible breeds) could includebarking on the sound chip.

Alternatively, the toy bank could adopt the form of a doll or acharacter. A wide variety of different characters are possible,including without limitation cartoon or animation characters, famousentertainers or movie stars, prominent political figures, andsignificant historical figures. Thus, a Disney character could sing oneof their songs, Scoobie Doo could exclaim “Scoobie Doo!”, Elvis Presleycould sing part of one of his popular songs, or Abraham Lincoln couldrecite part of the “Gettysburg Address.”

In another possible embodiment of the present invention, the toy bankcould adopt the form of a college mascot who sings part of the school'sfight song when a coin is deposited into the bank. Due to a healthy doseof nostalgia, such toy banks could appeal to adults who are alumni ofthat college. Because almost anything can be prerecorded onto the soundchip, the toy bank of the present invention could take on almost aninfinite number of forms.

The toy bank of the present invention appeals to the senses visually byallowing a person to see how much money he has collected, and providinga very appealing decorative item to a child's room. The bank provides asense of accomplishment by the child seeing how much money he has saved.The bank also appeals to the sense of touch because it is soft andhuggable. The bank also appeals to the sense of sound by deposit of acoin activating a familiar and recognizable sound or tune, whichcorresponds to the theme of the bank. This encourages children to keepinserting coins to activate the sound again.

The above specification, figures, examples, and data provide a completedescription of the structure and use of the invention. Since manyembodiments of the invention can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claimshereinafter appended.

1. A toy bank for the collection of money coins deposited therein,comprising: (a) a body in the shape of an animal, doll, or character;(b) a slot opening within the surface of the body for receivinginsertion of a coin; (c) a chamber located within the body forcollecting coins inserted into the slot opening; (d) a tube locatedwithin the body and connected at its first end to the slot opening andat its second end to the chamber, the tube transporting a coin insertedinto the slot to the chamber; and (e) a sound module interposed withinthe body between the slot opening and the chamber, and having meansoperatively connected thereto for causing the sound module to play aprerecorded sound bite correlated to the animal, doll, or characterpersona when mechanically activated by the coin passing from the slotopening to the chamber.
 2. The toy bank according to claim 1, whereinthe animal is a pig.
 3. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein theanimal is a cow.
 4. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein theanimal is a dog.
 5. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein theanimal is a bear.
 6. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein theanimal is a elephant.
 7. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein theanimal is a monkey.
 8. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein thebody constitutes a hard surface.
 9. The toy bank according to claim 1,wherein the body constitutes a soft or plush surface.
 10. The toy bankaccording to claim 1, wherein the chamber is made from a transparent orsemi-transparent material and is visible from the exterior of theanimal, doll, or character.
 11. The toy bank according to claim 10,wherein the chamber extends beyond the surface of the body.
 12. The toybank according to claim 1, wherein the sound bite is an animal noise.13. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein the sound bite is a songor melody.
 14. The toy bank according to claim 1, wherein the sound biteis a word phrase or speech.